I know we're not chatting on a recipe swap site, but for those who need to downsize their meal preparations, here's a good place to start ...

http://www.food.com/recipes/for-1-or-2

I've used that website and found it helpful.

Oh, meal time is tough! I love to cook and my husband was always so appreciative of anything I made (not that it was always very good!)
I loved dinner time with him. We made it a "rule" to not have the TV on while we were eating dinner, that way we would enjoy each other's company and talk about our days. I miss that so, so much. I find myself now breaking that old TV rule...I often put a tray up and watch TV while eating. I find myself looking at the clock and thinking "oh, it's 6:30, Steve will be home any minute." But, he won't.
Coming on here and "seeing" myself in so many of your posts is comforting.

It would help if they sold buns by 4....but the things they have made smaller servings are more expensive

No freaking way. I like cooking. It calms me down. I can cook one portion, but it's usually 2/3 portions. If I'm making soup or chili, I'm not going to spend the time and effort to make one portion. Good thing I like leftovers! My best friend is housebound for the next month after spinal surgery, and she's been the recipient of the overflow (good thing she likes my cooking). Joe was an OTR driver for many years, so I was used to cooking/eating alone. Bandi - that website was awesome! Marsha

I am 80 years old and am at the 5 year mark. My husband had IBS and only HE knew what he could eat (and when) so he did alot of the cooking for himself. I long ago learned to get by, and usually go to restaurants that serve good soup. Mexican restaurants usually have great soup and there is one just a mile or so from my home. The staff there have become to know me and treat me with kindness. My favorite meal is Shrimp/Tortilla soup -- a cup is plenty, a bowl way too much! There is also a local restaurant that serves great Fisherman's Stew, so I go there quite often. Here at home I keep raisin bread and I use Cinnamon Butter on it and I eat alot of Greek Yogurt and cottage cheese with fruit. My granddaughter is a distributor for Herballife, so I always have that to fall back on. Cookies and Creme is my favorite! Nice and thick like a real milkshake!

KK

I have eaten a lot of lean cuisine and smart ones frozen dinners. For the last two weeks I went to Pete's Market where they sell prepared foods and sell it by the pound, so the first week I bought one pork chop, corn beef and cabbage (2 meals), 1 salmon filet, 1 catfish filet, 1/2 lb pepper steak, 1/2 lb sweet potatoes and this lasted the whole week. Some I could make two meals from, especially since my appetite is nil. Clint did most of the cooking and I truly miss him. His Mother taught him well.

I ate frozen dinners for months. I refused to cook. I never cooked much till I got married. I enjoyed cooking for him and the kids.
Just recently did I start doing a little cooking for myself. I do a lot eggs and bacon.
Its just so much of what I use to cook would be too much for me.

Im learning to adjust.

let's keep this thread going, I think we can get a few tips. Like the soup idea. that freezes well and is nourishing MUST get veggies

Frozen dinners. Some days, is just enough, then some days I just can't seem to get enough food. And the same stuff, I need a change.. a different taste. have to drive at least 12 miles to get to a fast food place. I can run around the corner (1/2 mile) to the corner grocery store, that has very little to choose from.

When we were first married, we ate macaroni with tomato juice poured on it, 6 nights a week. On payday, a local grocery sold us enough ground beef for 3 hamburgers, a half a pack of buns. the next week, we bought the beef and the rest of the pack of buns. Once a week, my dad would bring me, peanut butter/jelly and day old bread, for the week, so I could eat something during the day. our grocery budget was $7.50 week.

I don't cook as much. We did a lot of it together, and the table is too empty. My friend, who is also a widow, says I'll get used to it in time, but for now I eat frozen dinners and don't stay in the kitchen. I am not eating balanced meals, and it is my goal to cook and put good meals in portion sized containers. I have to start this soon. Good to know I'm not a lone in this either.

I used to cook only because of him. I loved his reactions to the food or just watching him go for seconds made me happy. Now ...meh. I have no motivation to cook a meal. I made frozen breaded chicken pieces last night, cut them up and put them in a salad...that was my big deal for the week probably. But it hasn't even been 2 months yet . I'm hoping it gets better.

The 1st 6 months my son and his family lived with me. So making a large meal continued. They have just moved out. I go W.W. they have a new program called Simple Start. This program has meal suggestions and recipes for 1 - 2 servings. I have been using this program. It is helping me to lose the few pounds and the recipes are healthy. I also make sure that I bagged salad, & frozen meals. On Sundays, I try to prepare all fresh veggies for the fridge.
My husband was also the one that cooked & did grocery shopping. He was retired and I still am working. It was nice to come home to cooked meals. I miss sitting down to his meals and having a talk at the end of the day.

For the first several months I had no appetite so I just did not cook. I was overweight so it real was not a big deal. I lost about a pound a week so that was even a plus!

Now, however, I am very blessed to have my grandchildren live close to me and at least three days a week one of them comes over after school and we have dinner together. So, I often cook meals for them and there are usually leftovers to last for another day or two. My elderly parents live next door also so I make the effort to cook a meal once or twice a week that I can share with them.

Like some of you, I don't sit at the table to eat when I am by myself. I bring a plate into my living room and usually watch TV. I have gone out to eat by myself but I don't enjoy it very much. Usually I will just go to a fast food drive in and buy something and eat it in the car. Unfortunately I have to drive 17 miles to get to a fast food restaurant!

I had a slightly different problem -- I cooked for 4 and had a hard time adjusting down for 3 and staying motivated to cook at all. But my sons needed to eat! We always always always ate together as a family every night. We sat two and two opposite each other. Every night when me and the boys sat down that way after Cliff died, we would all just stare at his empty place at the table, and nobody wanted to eat. One night, I moved to the end of the table and put each of the boys at my sides - to my left and right - and then none of us was staring at Cliff's empty seat. It was like a gigantic weight was lifted, and we started enjoying our dinners together again.

It took a long time to adjust, so I had leftovers for lunch the next day. I had a girlfriend at work that we would take turns cooking for each other - some days I would bring lunch for both of us, some days she would bring lunch for both of us. That actually helped, and it saved us a little money, too.

We used to have a member group here for recipes for widows/widowers - I don't know what happened to that. Maybe we need to share a recipe or two every week. Maybe that would help those that don't have kids at home to cook for. Just a thought...

Love and Hugs,
Martha

I didn't want to see my husband's empty chair so I sit in it now just like Cliffskat. We have had a TV in our kitchen for years (to keep the children from eating snacks in the living room when they were young) and I usually watch TV when I eat. Then it doesn't feel so lonely.